


Hale

by WeabOfLogcom



Category: Persona 3
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Fluff and Angst, OOC, basically the whole team - Freeform, lot of curses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-08
Updated: 2018-10-22
Packaged: 2019-01-10 17:35:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12304167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WeabOfLogcom/pseuds/WeabOfLogcom
Summary: Miki was alive and Akihiko didn't have a reason to be obsessed over getting stronger, but what would Shinjiro do when he keeps having visions of a reality parallel from theirs?





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello guys! This is the first fic I've written, so I would like to apologize and thank you beforehand OTZ Also English is not my first language so if there are any grammatical errors, feel free to point them out. Thanks!

_Bright red flame.  That was all he could see on the place that they once called a home._ _He couldn’t quite process what exactly happened, but he knew that it was really terrible._ _All he could do was stare dumbly at the burning orphanage, as the scene_ _was becoming_ _shrouded by the hysterical cries of everyone around him.  The most deafening was Aki’s, who was_ _then_ _kneeling beside a body which he recognized to be Miki, and that was when Shinji started bawling himself._

_Shinjiro tried to wipe his tears,_ _but_ _he couldn’t stop them from coming, and the moment he opened his eyes again, the vision of the growing fire disappeared._ _Suddenly, h_ _e_ _found_ _himself_ _alone_ _on a blank plane with nothing but blinding light._

_“Don’t cry, Shinji,” a gentle voice called out to him._

_He turned toward its direction.  Standing behind him was a girl with crimson eyes, auburn hair, and a calming, new, yet seemingly familiar face._

_Wiping the tears on his cheeks, she leaned down and repeated herself, “Please don’t cry, Shinji.”_

_“B-but… Miki and Aki, they-“_

_“Don’t worry, Shinji.  It will be alright.”_

_“Really?  Are you sure?”_

_“I’ll make sure everything will be right this time.  I’ll protect them, I swear.  I’ll protect you.”_

_Her gentle smile slowly reassured Shinjiro, and when she patted his head, he was finally lulled._

 

* * *

 

The moment he woke up, Shinjiro remembered the nightmare.  He tried to look for the girl who even swore that she’ll protect them, but all he saw were the other kids at the orphanage, still soundly sleeping.

It was a good thing that the siblings, Aki and Miki, heard him suddenly bawling like a baby and got up to go by his side.  They tried to comfort Shinjiro, but he couldn’t help himself from crying even more after seeing Miki.  His panting and sobbing then continued, but not until Akihiko laughed at him, saying that ten year olds don’t wet their beds.

The dream kept him terrified the whole day and Shinjiro knew there’s something he had to do to keep that from happening.   _No_ , he knew  _what he must do_ , so when they were on an escapade and Miki reminded that it was already time for them to go back to the orphanage, Shinjiro insisted to stay and continue playing.  As he expected, Miki refused, so Shinjiro went on to execute his foolproof plan.  He began crying and rolling on the ground, begging to not return yet, and then the deal was sealed.

After playing way past their curfew and arriving at the farthest train station that Shinjiro swore he knew in the area (or second nearest, in actuality), they have finally agreed to go back as Akihiko complained for the tenth time of how hungry he is and looked about ready to punch or bite Shinjiro, whichever comes first.

Moments later, Shinjiro found himself in the same situation that he had in the dream.

_The orphanage was burning down, and Aki was crying hysterically.  Mouth agape, he fell to his knees, knowing everything was almost like the scene in his nightmare.  The only difference this time was Miki, who was standing beside her brother, weeping with him.  
_


	2. Beef Bowl Devourer

It has been a month before the incident that Shinjiro started having those dreams that ended up as reality the following day.  At first, he got so excited he had blurted out that he could see the future, and even bragged about his guardian goddess. Aki and Miki were also amused, but later didn’t mind and shrugged it off as a kid’s random story, while the others never took him seriously.

Shinjiro has long known that those dreams were precognitions, but since that day when his actions have managed to save Miki, he knew that it was an incredible gift meant for great things,  _like playing tricks on Aki,_   _and yeah, other great things._

Though, as expected from a kid, it became hard for Shinji to take matters on his own hand, let alone answer the questions that he had in mind. First, he couldn’t figure out the identity of the girl who would always appear at the end of his dreams.  As he was thinking carefully about it, Shinjiro was tall compared to the other kids of age ten in the orphanage, but the red-haired girl was still a lot taller than him.  Who knows how many years older she is than him?

… _Wait, she’s very pretty, and she_ _'_ _s really nice to me_ ,  _so if she’s an old hag, then she could be a goddess!_

Another thing that Shinji didn’t anticipate since the incident was the fact that in his continuous dreams, Miki was still dead. The first time he realized this, he didn’t know what to do.  It was like a different world, much darker than where he is now.  Every time he had the chance, he always asked the goddess about it, but all she ever did was smile and say, “I told you, I’ll make it right this time.”

It took too long for Shinji, about a year of mishaps between him and Aki, to piece it all together on his own and somehow conclude that he had actually created an alternate reality from the one in his visions.

 

* * *

 

On his first week in middle school, Shinjiro had been fully aware that he has altered a lot from the occurrences in his dreams.  They were all still together; Miki was alive, and Akihiko didn’t have a reason to be obsessed over getting stronger.  Heck, the other world’s Aki was doomed as fuck, far from the naïve, cheerful kid who’s always beside him, but even after Shinjiro had learned of his dreams as mere fragments of a reality parallel from theirs, he couldn’t help but overthink and get paranoid.

Everything was a lot more peaceful than in his so-called precognitions, which made him more nervous and confused.

_The visions are basically useless now_ , what the heck was he supposed to do?  Should he really relax, knowing that everything isn’t the way they’re supposed to be?

_Besides, she’s not even answering any questions… so much for a guardian goddess._

Taking his usual route to school, his train of thought was then broken by a hand that hardly patted his back.

“Hey, I told you to wait for me this time.”

Shinjiro sighed in exasperation, “Then you shouldn’t have eaten all those rice bowls, Aki.”

“I’m a growing man, I need calories.”

“Whatever.”

“Come on, Shinji, what are you acting all tough for?” A grin then sprawled on the gray haired guy’s face, “are you hoping for a middle school debut or something?”

“I’m a delinquent, you won’t get it,” Shinjiro immediately blurted out, which caused a laugh from the other boy.

“That being said by the guy who used to pee on his bed. A lot.”

“Shut up, Aki.” Feeling uneasy, and knowing that the vision-Shinjiro’s personality is finally rubbing off on him, he tried to divert the other guy’s attention. “Hey, have you joined any club yet?”

_I’m sure as hell I’ve altered a lot, but please be in the boxing club_ _. Maybe you’ll need it,_ _you gullible kid._

His hope was broken by Akihiko’s response, “I’m in the soccer team.”

“…well, never would’ve pegged you for one who plays soccer.”

“Yeah, me neither.”

“What? …wait, do you even know how to play?”

“Nope, not a clue.”

“You’re an idiot.”

“Shut up. What about you? What club are you in this time?”

Shinjiro’s smirk slipped as the answer escaped his lips, “Home economics.”

 

* * *

 

Weeks later, Shinjiro learned through his visions that Akihiko being in the soccer team and not in the boxing club was an extreme wrong turn.  When Shinjiro told her about this, the goddess even teased him,  _or threatened,_ he wasn’t sure, she was always just smiling, “you have led us halfway to our doom,” then proceeded on flashing her ever glorious laugh as Shinjiro panicked over what he should do next.

 In order to get back on familiar grounds, or prepare them for everything, Shinjiro spent the following months fretting over making Akihiko stronger and pushing him to join the boxing club instead, but as expected, the guy adamantly refused, which made Shinjiro frustrated and once again try to get matters on his own hand, thus training Aki on his own.

_What’s a better way to get back the guy’s damn speed and reflex other than throwing things at him randomly?_ Smashing stuff at him also worked, and was also  _so_   _damn_   _fulfilling_.  By the start of the second semester, Akihiko was finally able to foresee, dodge, and even counter all of his attacks.  It made Shinjiro proud of the kid, but not enough to make him stop entirely.

The following year, however, when Miki entered as freshman on the same middle school and decided to join the boxing club, Akihiko followed suit.  In the end, Shinjiro thought, he shouldn’t have fussed over the brat.  _Whoever the hell knew that the siscon will solve it himself?_

 

* * *

 

“I’m moving out.”

Akihiko’s statement that one evening on their third year in junior high didn’t surprise Shinjiro at all, contrary to how Miki initially reacted to her brother’s sudden declaration.

A few more minutes of trying to calm her down, Miki finally replied, “Well, I’m not mad, Aki-nii, but why is it so sudden?”

“Relax, Miki.  Maybe your brother just got hitched or somethin’,” Shinjiro teasingly interjected.

Miki nudged him and pouted, “Not funny, Shinji-nii.”

“Well, not immediately, but,” Akihiko sighed in defeat and sat down beside Miki, “I’ll be graduating this year, I mean, I have to prepare ahead for high school, so I’ll move in to the dorms and—“

“Man, don’t try bullshitting your way outta this,” Shinjiro laughed.

“Dammit, Shinji.”

This time, Miki was the one who heaved a sigh on both of them, “it’s fine, Aki-nii. Just… take care of yourself, okay?”

“Yeah, of course I will,” her brother finally smiled, relief evident on his face.

“And if matters turn to worse, remember that Mama Shinji will save the day, okay?” she said, winking at Shinji.

“What? How is he my problem still?  Anyway, I ain’t gonna stop you or anything.”  _I pretty much already know where you’re going and why. Heck, the other world’s Shinjiro was guilty of only joining SEES because that Aki did._  “All I gotta say is—“  _How the hell did you even get a Persona this time? To be recruited to the team, that was the major requirement._   _So. How?_  “…crap, nevermind.”

“ _Aaaaww_ … Are you embarrassed, Shinji-nii? Come on, say it.”

“Don’t worry, Shinji. I’ll miss you too.”

“Fuck you, Aki.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...and that was how they have once again got themselves entangled to the chaos that lies ahead.


	3. Foreseeing Justice

_Dark sky, green moon – the Dark Hour.  They were sent out on another mission to defeat a rampant shadow and secure the area.  In this case, there were two bystanders who were not transmogrified, a woman and a child, and Mitsuru has once again reminded them that their safety is the main priority of the group.  As such, she immediately instructed the civilians to hide_ _a_ _t_ _the alley behind them and reminded both him and Aki to keep an eye on the two._

_Of course, things went smoothly as Mitsuru has planned. They have figured out that the shadow’s attack and defense were pretty low, and though it can control minds in close proximity and summon lesser shadows which proved to be problematic ticking time bombs triggered through physical attacks, they have learned that its endurance and ability to do so is limited._

_Since Polydeuces and Castor both depended on brute force, Mitsuru was the one who handled the summoned shadows while the two guys focused on using their Personas to inflict damage on the summoner._

_As the explosions became weaker, Mitsuru assured them that the shadow’s endurance is near its limit and after another Spirit Drain, she instructed them to execute an all-out attack._

_At the corner of his eye, Shinjiro even saw Aki smirk at him, and he knew full well what that meant.  They were about to wing this. What they didn’t anticipate was the instant that Castor missed to land a blow on the Shadow, which in turn was able to_ _see an opportunity_ _on the little time that it had and once again use its tricks.  That was when everything went downshit._

_Akihiko took Shinjiro’s place and commanded Polydeuces to bash the Shadow, but unbeknownst to both of them, it was able to summon its final set of minions, one of which momentarily soaked up Akihiko’s attack, and as the two of them threw each other one last panicked look before the impulse to scram took them both, it exploded._

_A couple of bad decisions and Akihiko attempting to use his Persona to shield everything led them to this state minutes later, wherein Shinjiro was cursing under his breath and everything Mitsuru was saying at the moment sounded like self-righteous nags to him as he struggled to once again get back to the_ _Shadow._

_“Shinjiro, you have to be careful!  Need I remind you that this shadow can manipulate minds?  Close combat is not advisable for—“ Mitsuru was reminding him from the sidelines, but Shinjiro tuned her out._

_“I got this!” he shouted back, still trying to close the distance between him and the Shadow, which was desperately trying to move around on a fast pace._

**_We almost did it. One last hit and it’s over._ **

_“Use your Persona!”_

_“Dammit, Mitsuru!  Aki used his, look what that got him!”_

_Akihiko, pinned on the ground, visibly winced at what he said.  Mitsuru, on the other hand, was looking after him while trying to exterminate the lesser shadows summoned earlier._

_‘trustmewecandothissummonme’_

_A static voice rang in his head, but Shinjiro ignored it.  Bet the guy’s just itchin’ to hit something again._

_‘listencanfeelittrustme’_

**_Shut up, Castor!  You missed earlier already! Don’t mess up now!_ **

_Shinjiro kept on following the shadow no matter where it went, not letting it escape from his sight._

_“Shinji, don’t let it buy time!”_

**_I know, dammit!_ **

_Finally cornering the shadow on an alley, Shinjiro couldn’t hide his smirk as he lifted his axe, preparing to give the last blow, until he felt a pang on his back. As he peered behind him, the last image he saw was a woman with dead eyes, holding up a shard at him, and then his vision went blank._

_The searing pain on his back was now replaced by the screeching in his head.  Anguish, desperation, fear – several emotions rushed through Shinji, which was severely amplified by the panicked buzzing in his head.  Shouting, calling his teammates and asking for help, probably rolling on the ground – he tried everything, but not even clawing his head or trying to rip it off from his body was able to stop the pain that he was feeling.  The torture seemed to drag on for far too long that even Shinjiro wished for the Shadow to just slash him dead already._

_After what felt like hours before the pain dissipated and his breathing went back to normal, Shinjiro’s sight finally returned, but the destruction he saw made him wish it never did._

_His teammates—his friends, were now lying on the ground, beaten and defenseless, all the while looking at him with desperate concern on their eyes.  Shinjiro ran to them as fast as he could, but stopped on his tracks the moment he spotted on the corner of his eyes what he dreaded the most._

_The vision that night ended just like how it all began._

_Another lifeless body was right in front of him, but this time, it was all Shinji’s fault._

_…_

_This time, as he was dragged back to the blank room, he was again crying nonstop in front of the goddess, just like how he did years ago._

_“You saw how it all happened, Shinji. Trust yourself, and trust in Castor.  I know you can do it, you just needed someone who’ll believe in you,” reaching out her hand to touch his cheeks, she looked at him in the eye, which made Shinji return in kind._

_Why is it that whenever Shinjiro has a dream-induced breakdown, those striking eyes would always get to him? Damn, the goddess really had him whipped._

_Shinjiro continued crying like a baby, until she hugged him in her arms saying, “It’s fine, you’ll be able to make it right this time.”_

_“Not gonna say ‘I’ now, would you?”_

_He felt her chuckle, which somehow lightened him up as well, “How about ‘we’?”_

_“Fair enough,” Shinjiro buried his face on her shoulder and placed an arm around her, which made the goddess hug him even tighter._


	4. His Resolve

The moment he woke up, Shinjiro was filled with determination.   _Maybe, just maybe_ , he’ll find a way through this. He went out of his room and ran straight to the lounge that morning, where he saw Mitsuru sitting on the couch. Shinjiro cleared his throat, running through his resolve a couple more times in his head before voicing it to their leader.

He approached her, and Mitsuru then looked up at him with questioning eyes.

“My left hand hurts. I’m gonna ditch the mission tonight, ‘kay?”

“…Shinjiro, you know that I am the Student Council President, right?”

“Yeah, so?”

“And you’re aware that the use of illegal drugs is prohibited in our school? Otherwise, hallucinations would not be—”

“Wha—no! The hell? I just can’t go, okay?”

“Just what are you saying?”

“Oh… nothing.”

“That is highly suspicious, but I won’t ask you any further. I’ll… pretend this conversation never happened.”

Shinjiro thought of proceeding to plan B, but as he saw Miki snickering at the front desk, who obviously witnessed the exchange between the two, he decided to jump to plan C.

 

* * *

 

“Are you sure you want to spar with me?” wrapping his hand tightly with layers of bandage before putting on his boxing gloves, Akihiko asked him one last time.

It was already after school, and club activities have started. There was no reason for Shinjiro to back out of this.

“Dammit, told’ya that already.”  _Besides, that was the plan. Break a hand, hopefully the left one, and instantly have an excuse from tonight’s mission._

“Don’t you have club activities today, Shinji? Those pancakes ain’t gonna cook themselves, you know?”

“What, are you mocking me and my club?”

“No, but I really wanna eat right now.  So. Pancakes.”  Putting more emphasis in each word, Akihiko squinted his eyes and nodded slowly as if they just made an agreement.

Shinjiro tried to punch him, but since he was not yet wearing gloves at the moment, and Aki just swatted his hand with one, Shinji finally got what he asked for.

 

* * *

 

After all the trouble that he went through, Shinjiro still had to drag his ass to that night’s mission. Aki, Miki and Mitsuru were with him, and upon analyzing their surroundings and the Shadow at hand, Mitsuru and Miki started strategizing.

_Earlier that evening, when the alarm went off on the dorm and Ikutsuki-san has oriented them of the situation, Shinjiro was sure that he could stay out of it, but Mitsuru insisted that they needed more manpower and Shinjiro’s “injury” wasn’t enough to consider him as a liability to the team. Regrettably, Shinjiro could also swear that his actions earlier that morning made Mitsuru wary of him, as she evidently eyed him suspiciously the moment they all heard the alarm._

Focusing back to their mission, Shinjiro recalled the dream that he had and compared it to the situation at hand, noting what he must do to avoid the outcome.  _One, don’t be a dick. Two, Miki’s here, so they got higher odds of winning. Three, trust in Castor._

_…Easier said than done._  Shinjiro became too conscious of his actions that he was only on defense the entire time.  His plan also backfired, as he couldn’t shift the weight of his axe from one hand to another like he would normally do. And he knows he had to trust Castor, but would he really gamble it now?  _I mean, it all started when the guy missed a hit._

As Shinjiro was preoccupied, what got his attention back to reality was a scream that came from the sidelines. The horror flashed on his face as he remembered the woman whose death he had foreseen.  Turning to where it came from and seeing that what he heard earlier came from someone else entirely, however, didn’t cause him relief either.

The one who was struck this time was Miki, which finally snapped him to his senses.

_Enough is enough._

Shinjiro finally called out to Castor, and never before had he heard his Persona clearer than this. The connection he sensed as he finally reached out to Castor was indescribable, as he felt replenished and the weight dragging him down disappeared.  This time, Shinjiro realized that he was not just commanding Castor to fight; he knew that they were protecting each other.

 

* * *

 

_“You did it,” the goddess smiled brilliantly at him that Shinjiro couldn’t help but wonder, how could she possibly shine even more than she already does?_

_Smiling back, Shinjiro impulsively hugged her this time._

_The shadow was defeated, Miki was fine, and so were the civilians that they later found out to be mother and child. After all that happened, Shinji deeply wanted to thank the woman in front of him, his goddess, for guiding him and staying by his side._

_The moment she hugged him back, Shinjiro admitted to himself that he was filled with contentment and bliss, and wished to stay that way with her. The urge to say so crossed his mind, but as he was about to open his lips, she spoke up._

_“That was the last trigger. You can relax now.”_

_“What do you mean?”_

_“You’ve saved them, and you’re safe as well, as promised,” she chuckled._

_“Heh, then nothing bad’s gonna happen now, right? We can relax now, yeah?”_

_Cupping his cheeks, she laid her forehead on his, “Yes, I assure you, everything will be fine. We’ve done everything we can, so if anything worse happens, it could be beyond our control, but please don’t give up, Shinji.”_

_All he did was nod._

_“You’re the strongest, bravest person I_ _'ve_ _ever met, I’m sure you can do that.”_

_Laughing, he replied, “Don’t patronize me, and besides, you’re always there for me, right?”_

_There was a long pause before she said anything, which made Shinji lean back and look her in the eyes._

_“Shinji,” sighing, she finally answered, “It was really great to be with you again.”_

_Shinjiro was surprised from what the goddess said, but he got startled even more when she suddenly kissed him on the forehead.  Dumbstruck, it took moments for Shinji to make up his mind and tried to reach out to kiss her, but before he did, he finally woke up._

 

* * *

 

Anxiety was all he felt the whole day, and if he could, Shinjiro was ready to pass out even in class, as he desperately wanted to see her again. So the second he stepped into the dorm, he went straight to his room and tried his best to catch his sleep.

As he started to dream, the precognitions continued, but the visions of her stopped.


	5. In Search of a Goddess

Was he wrong to try and pursue her? Or did her guidance simply ended there? Did she think he doesn’t need her anymore? Or _maybe_ , something must have happened, because in the end, she was just… _gone_.

Even the next day, or on the other days that followed, she never appeared once again, not even on the place where he assumed she dwelled on. (He once called it a blank plane, but she said she would prefer if he’d call it Blank Room instead, lack of walls notwithstanding. “Room sounds less lonely,” she said, “maybe I’ll forget I’m in the middle of nowhere. Also more familiar and comforting, plus I’d get to welcome my own guest.” That time she smiled so sweetly at him, even though he had no idea whatever the hell she was saying.)

However, the precognitions still continued, which made him think, _what the heck should I do when something happens and she’s not there?_ She had said something about “last trigger”, but what if she was wrong? Because if nothing’s going to happen anymore, then the visions should have stopped by then, just like how she had disappeared. _Maybe something’s still about to happen_ , and now he’s all on his own.

_No._ Whatever happens, he could do this. He just had to believe in himself _. Hell, that was what she always said._

He would make her proud. She’d see.

He would give his best in everything he does.

Starting from the Home Economics Club.

He would be the best damn leader she had ever seen.

And so Shinjiro focused on the Home Economics club, to the extent that he even painstakingly joined cooking contests and initiated tours to “further develop their knowledge on different cuisine”.

Aki and Miki more or less figured out back then that he might have been heartbroken, with Aki even stressing that Shinji had the "stench of a girl trying to move on,” and though he kept on denying it, Miki insisted on helping him find someone and dragged her sibling to tag along with it.

Miki kept on setting him up on dates, but Shinjiro insisted on his specifics (someone with auburn hair held up on a ponytail, pale skin but looks full of life, the most beautiful girl you’ll ever see – as Shinji would always describe) and turned down every girl he had talked to.

Couple of years later, Shinji thought Miki would finally give up, but it turns out she just passed the baton to her brother in finding the woman suitable for Shinjiro. Thankfully, the only time he ever bothered Shinji was when he was on a one-week tour in another city and Aki suddenly called him out of the blue, only to talk about a promising new member.

What Shinjiro didn’t expect was that as he was still on the tour, one night, he finally saw  _her_  again, not on the Blank Plane, but on the dream that was supposed to happen the following day.

_Akihiko called him out to the hospital, said he got injured from the last shadow operation. He was about to leave, when more visitors came in to Aki’s room, and the goddess, real and alive, was one of them._

The next day, Shinjiro rode the first train back to Tatsumi Port Island. On the ride home, he texted Miki.

**‘is aki on a hospital right now?’**

**‘(O-o) no… y?’**

**‘please push him off the stairs for me, am on a train home’**

Unfortunately, Miki didn’t follow suit.

Arriving back later that evening, Shinji was preparing to ask a favor from Aki, but as he opened the door to the dorm, he dropped all of his stuff, seeing the new SEES member at the lounge staring back at him.

All she did was smile, and the step he first took to reach her turned into a full-on run.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've first posted this fic on tumblr, and I really wanted to continue this story but I don't think I'll be able to write extremely long chapters every time, so I decided to divide them into parts for consistency's sake. Also I've been a lurker for far too long that I don't know how these things work, so again, I deeply apologize for this.


	6. The Unconsidered Variable

Shinjiro’s mind exploded as the thousand questions left unanswered a couple of years ago all went back to him in a single breath, and the very core of it all was now standing in front of him.

What should he say? Where have you been? Why are you here? _Screw that_. _She’s here. It’s gonna be fine._

Shinjiro immediately ran to her side, wanting to hold her in his arms, like the way she did to envelop him back when she was trying to comfort him, or every time he needed something to hold on to. Those moments—he wanted to bring them back, and now he _could_ … but as he tried to reach for her hands, she flinched. Seeing the shocked –horrified even– expression on her face, he took a step back and diverted his sight to his right instead.

_Big mistake_. Now he could see Miki sitting on the couch beside her, mirroring the former girl’s expression, but with a touch of disgust.

Shinjiro then thought of either going back out of the door or running to the kitchen to burn something. He was about to take another step away from the goddess when he heard Miki clear her throat. Both of them turned to look at her, one seemingly relieved from the distraction while the other looked dumbstruck.

“Minako-chan, have I told you before about Shinji-nii? I hope I have, ‘cause here he is!” Miki gestured at him as if presenting a prize.

“I’m—hello—uh, good evening, senpai. Arisato Minako, class 2-F,” she finally replied as she bowed, then reached out a hand towards Shinjiro.

Minako. _Minako_. Now he had a name for the face.

“Aragaki Shinjiro, 3rd year,” Shinjiro shook her offered hand, trying to imitate the nonchalance in her voice and the formality of her introduction.

“Oh, and he’s a great cook, very handy to keep around,” Miki winked at Minako, which Shinjiro noticed that she obliged to return with a gentle—if a bit strained—smile.

“Shut it, Miki,” he glowered at the kid, who thankfully seemed to receive the message: _it doesn’t need the two of us to mess this up, really._ Turning back to Minako, he took a deep breath and continued, “When did you get here?”

“I got here Monday night, senpai.”

“Oh, I see. Well, Aki called me the next day, I guess. Told me about you,” Shinjiro scratched the back of his neck, anticipating her reply for any clue, any tell that would confirm everything. Or should he just ask her outright? _Yeah_ _, you really wanna creep her out more, don’t you?_

“I’m glad you knew beforehand instead of mistaking that I just magically appeared here, senpai."

That moment Shinjiro noted that though her shoulders still seemed tense, her genuine smile earlier was back, lifting the atmosphere as if to give him hope that she really was his goddess, but the idea was snapped immediately when Miki snorted beside him.

“Well, Yukari-chan was about ready to attack her that night. You should’ve seen it, Shinji-nii.”

"I’m lucky she didn’t. Oh, speaking of Yukari-chan, we’re going to meet at the Paulownia Mall. Wanna come with?” Minako asked the other girl.

“Nah, I’ll take my time to pester Shinji-nii here,” Miki snickered.

Minako shook her head, still beaming a smile, “Well, I’ll make sure to bring you something back.” She then turned her gaze to Shinjiro and continued, “i-it was nice to meet you, senpai."

She bowed and excused herself one last time, sprinting to the door without even batting a final glance at Shinjiro.

_…_

Well, she was right in front of him.

And he waited so long for this.

_But what the hell just happened?_

How could she not know him? How the _hell_ could she not know him? Because the moment their eyes met and she smiled at him, he knew there was something.

But why did she look afraid of him when he tried to hold her? Because she's his goddess, and he can't see why they would be beatin’ around the bushes. There was no need for formalities or to eye him warily.

_Except when she really_ _isn't_ **_her_**. And they really _only just met_.

Shinjiro then looked at Miki, who was the only other person in the room left with him.

_Maybe she knows something._

“What?” Miki asked exasperatedly, her smile slowly turning into a frown.

He stared at her for a moment, waiting to hear an answer for the things he never asked. She only glared back.

"Don't glare at me. You know that _that_ was your fault, Shinji-nii. What were you thinking? You didn't even apologize."

Shinjiro was mute for several more minutes, and then there it was – Miki finally snapped, kneaded her temples and groaned. With a final shrug and a massive display of disappointment on her face, accompanied by the very slow shake of her head, she broke the silence.

“I know she’s a _lot_ like your type, the kind of girl you pine,” Miki crossed her arms below her chest, scoffing as she witnessed Shinji wince, “but you didn’t have to jump her right away. That was awkward as hell, you damn creep.”

“It’s _her_ ,” that was all Shinjiro could mutter, not even able to face Miki straight. “And watch your damn language.”

“I thought you said your ‘ _goddess’_ ,” she air-quotes, “was very, _very_ old? I mean, that was the reason you thought she was a mystical entity, right? _Or_ was it just the face?” Placing a hand in her pocket and slouching, she made her best impression of Shinji, “ _Most_ beautiful girl you’ll _ever_ see.”

“Come on, everybody else looks a lot older when you’re a kid.  Hell, those damn little things are idiots.”

“Yeah, sure,” Miki rolled her eyes then sighed. “At least she seemed to let it slide. And aren’t you supposed to be back tomorrow, Shinji-nii? Was the tour awful? Or did you come back a day earlier just to see her? You _did_ just say my brother told you about Minako-chan. Did he send you pics? Come on, spill it. I know that you both—“

Not letting Miki continue her barrage of words, Shinjiro turned on his heel to the kitchen before cutting her off, “Shut it. Well, now that I’m here, what the hell do you wanna eat for dinner?”

“Ooh, curry! Two servings, and another two for Aki-nii, please.”

“Damn brats,” Shinjiro shook his head and went off to the fridge.

* * *

 

"Oh, there you are. What's for dinner?" Akihiko entered the dorm an hour later. Miki and Shinji were at the lounge, each holding their bowl, eating lazily by the couch while watching silly shows instead of eating at the dining table.

"Hey, Aki-nii," Miki replied, intently watching the cook-off, "what took you so long?"

"Club practice, then I went to Hagakure. What are you guys eating? And why is there a pot on the table? Man, Mitsuru's gonna be pissed." Akihiko crossed his arms, shaking his head, "I'm sure she'd say, _'that is a center table, intended for magazines, other books and even decoratives, but certainly not for dining'_."

"Why do you care?" Shinji gruffly replied, chomping down another spoonful and not taking his eyes off the screen.

"We'll clean up after," Miki chimed in, "and Mitsuru-senpai won't see. She told me she'll be late tonight. Student council duties."

Akihiko then sat beside them and asked for his sister's spoon to take a bite. She gave the full bowl to him and Aki continued eating.

"Hey, get your own spoon and bowl, Aki," Shinjiro chided him.

"Come on, I'm already starving."

"You just said you already ate at Hagakure! Get your own bowl."

"Man, you used to be a cute kid."

"Shut up, you're still a kid, and quit tolerating him, Miki. Damn brats," Shinjiro muttered as he stood up to the kitchen and got another bowl and spoon from the counters. He's almost too tired of their childish actions, but Shinjiro also couldn't get himself to stop caring either, knowing that the alternative for their immature behaviour is a world without the other. Besides, he also couldn't deny that he doted a lot on both of them, so he's kinda half to blame. Only half. _Still, this is better._

Handing Aki the utensils, Shinjiro sat back to his seat.

"Thanks. Oh, hey Shinji, Miki said you already met the new girl. What happened?" Akihiko leaned forward towards Shinji, anticipating his reply.

Miki started giggling beside him, "it was magical, you should have seen it, Aki-nii. Went so smoothly."

"Really? That doesn't sound like Shinji," Aki questioningly raised an eyebrow, which made Miki laugh beside him.

"Stop ganging up on me, you brats." _Yeah right this world is better._

* * *

 

_Was she really the goddess?_ _Then why is she here? Aki really should have gone to the hospital, could've learned more from that._

Shinjiro let out a final grunt as he laid back on his bed to catch his sleep.

_The visions ought to give_ _something_ _, dammit_ _._

* * *

 

_Bottles, cigarettes, filthy stray cats and humans that smell no better than the little fluffballs. He was at the outskirts of Tatsumi Port Island Station, standing and leaning on shits and stuff, waiting for the suppressants._

_That was all he got._

* * *

 

"Well, fuck," Shinjiro muttered in a single breath the moment he opened his eyes, cursing the other Shinjiro for hanging out so much in the station's dumpsters. But really, he should have expected that. Scenes from the back alley was all he ever had a vision of these days, save for some exceptions when the vision-Aki would pester him to go back to SEES or just eat at Hagakure.

Still, Shinjiro knew he had to do something; hell, he really just wanna ask her two things. _Is she really who he thinks she is? And does she know anything about the visions?_ He needed immediate answers, so he tried to look for her that morning, but Miki said she already went to Gekkoukan High School early along with the other second years.

At school, he also tried to take a peek at room 2-F to see her before their classes but he was surprised when she wasn't there, so he decided to wait for her during lunch.

When the bell rang signalling their lunch break, Shinjiro immediately bolted out of their room and to the second year hallway. Finally, he saw her went out of the door with Takeba and another classmate with a cap. He was about to greet them when she noticed him approaching and their eyes met, which caused her to... flinch. She then bowed an apology to her other friends, sprinted away from them and disappeared.

…Was she avoiding him? Did he scare her? _Just_ … _what_?

_Damn_ , maybe he really had to apologize for what he did yesterday. _Now, he really, really have to talk to her_.

_After class,_ he swore.

The moment they were dismissed from their last subject, he immediately spotted her skipping merrily down the hall. She then went around each floor and happily chatted with almost anyone she passed by, even pestering the store vendor without buying anything, well, given that the said vendor almost always runs out of products to begin with. At one point, she then suddenly bolted up to the roof top only to look at the dried plants then left without doing anything. Shinjiro decided he'd go up there again to water them some other time, but first he had to follow her and finally speak up.

He kept on tailing her as she happily pranced throughout the town, doing nothing but exhausting Shinjiro. She went from Iwatodai Strip Mall to Naganaki Shrine then to the station outskirts, petting cats along the way without actually turning her head to look elsewhere to appreciate the sceneries like the mere newcomer that she was. Not that there were any good places to look at, nor did she seem to at least be trying to familiarize with the locations. Shinjiro wouldn’t even wonder if the girl suddenly gets lost, which somehow mentally justified his current actions. _For countermeasure and stuff_. Finally, she went a long way back to Paulownia Mall to look hesitantly at the stores and just gawk from a distance before taking a turn and stopped... at the back alley.

She was standing still for several minutes when an idea clicked through Shinjiro's mind. _Maybe now she’s actually lost and doesn't know the way back to the dorms?_ Maybe she really had no sense of direction, because there was no other sane reason as to why anyone would be able to go around in circles without even window shopping, or any other purpose aside from cats, really.

Shinjiro was about to approach her when finally, Minako moved on her spot and kneaded her temples. With a click of her heel, she turned around towards the exit of the mall and Shinjiro followed suit.

He wanted to make sure she'd get home safely, but he didn't want to scare her or let her know that he's been tailing her all along, so he kept his distance.

Surprisingly, she was able to walk straight back to the dorm.

So she wasn't lost.

Weird. Just weird.

_She's_ weird.

With doubtful eyes pointedly fixed on Minako, Shinjiro heaved a heavy sigh, and the moment she entered their dorm, he took a step back and turned around. Resigning to himself, he decided to stroll a bit before going back to the dorm, ignoring his already sore feet lest the others get a clue that he arrived almost after her.

 

* * *

 

Arriving at the dorm an hour later, he saw Mitsuru and Akihiko at the lounge, sitting on their usual spots, the former reading a magazine and the latter intently watching Phoenix Rangers on the television.

"Oh hey, Shinji," Akihiko nodded towards him and focused back to his show.

"Welcome back," Mitsuru greeted.

"Hey," Shinjiro nodded back at them before slumping down the couch beside Aki.

Mitsuru closed the magazine and laid it on her lap before starting, "Now that you're here, Shinjiro, I've been meaning to inform you about the new additions to our dorm occupants as well as the changes in our team dynamics."

"Yeah?"

"As you may have already heard from Akihiko and Miki, we had two new members during the past week when you were on a tour."

"Two? I thought it was just Minako," Shinjiro eyed Akihiko who simply shrugged beside him.

"I see, so you haven't met Iori-kun, yet? I'll introduce him to you once they get back here. On another note, due to the increase in our members, I have decided to split the team into two for more efficient Tartarus exploration."

"Okay, so who's on which team?"

"Same with the past team strategy, you, Akihiko and Miki will remain on a team while I navigate and instruct you guys from the first level. The new members on the other hand will comprise another group."

That somehow got Shinji to straighten up on his seat, "What? Are you sure they're ready?" Sending out the new recruits on their own seemed like a dumb idea, even coming from Mitsuru.

"Of course, and I'll make sure to keep an eye on them so don't worry. Besides, I've appointed a leader for their team, and I believe she's quite capable, maybe she could even lead our _whole_ team."

_She? Oh no. That doesn't sound right._ "Who is it?" Shinjiro looked at Akihiko, asking for confirmation.

Akihiko raised a hand to the back of his head and gestured a ponytail, “Minako.”

Now _that_ sounded like a really bad idea, especially coming from Mitsuru. "Seriously?"

"Why? Do you have any objections?"

"They're just new to this, Mitsuru. And you grouped them up together?"

"So were we, and I see no reason why they shouldn't train like we did."

"At least get me or Aki on their team!"

"Shinjiro, calmly explain to me why you are so against it. I'll listen," Mitsuru was looking at him, gaze unwavering. Seemingly challenging.

When he didn't respond for a while, Mitsuru continued, "just give it a chance, Shinjiro. We've seen their capabilities before, I'm sure they can handle it. In two days’ time, we'll have another Tartarus exploration. See for yourself."

"Fuck it. Do what you want," Shinjiro growled, picked up his bag and left to his room upstairs.

 

Later that evening, Shinjiro went down to the ground floor to grab some food from the kitchen, but as he was about to go back up the stairs, he caught a glimpse of auburn hair by the dining hall. He then heard another voice coming from the room.

"Minako-chan, here's the pine resin you asked about," Takeba handed her a small bottle.

"Thanks, Yukari-chan. You sure I can have it?"

"Well, yeah. I mainly just use it for my practice bow. I still have more of those. What will you use it for?"

_Yeah, what's that for?_ Shinjiro tried to further eavesdrop at the conversation.

"Let's see... what else can I haggle with it?"

"What?"

She waved her hand dismissively, "Just kidding, I need it to get some shiny stuff, or some stuff shiny. Thanks again, Yukari-chan!" Minako giddily pocketed the bottle and skipped towards the door. Before she could see him spying on them, Shinjiro clumsily retreated.

_What the hell would you use a pine resin for?_

 

* * *

 

The next day, Shinjiro even tried to wake up too early for a Sunday, but the moment they spotted each other at the lounge, she awkwardly fled, which was really weird and disturbing even for Shinjiro’s standards. So on the other day that followed, Shinji didn't bother to search for her in the morning. Instead, he waited for the opportunity to talk to her after class.

The bell rang that afternoon, signalling their class dismissal, but when Shinjiro went straight to 2-F to look for her, he was both upset and relieved to not see her there and finally have a goddamn conversation. He found himself getting more and more indecisive (he was never indecisive), and was planning on passing off another day to try speaking to her. Or maybe think first of how not to screw up their impending interaction, not minding that he couldn’t even approach her in the first place. However, as he made his way to the Home Economics Club, he heard a familiar voice, accompanied by another giggling sound. When he tried to peek around the corner, he saw Minako, flesh and all, excitedly twirling on her position in front of a goofy looking Akihiko.

Seeing her at ease, comfortably chatting with Aki somehow made Shinjiro’s stomach drop. Sure she was always happily talking to anybody, eagerly engaging with almost everybody except him, but never had he seen her smile whole heartedly. He had also often heard her laugh boisterously with others in the dorm, but she sounded too different with her girlish giggle just then. _With Sanada Akihiko no less_. The one person who’s the worst at talking to girls, or anybody really, who always finds the most idiotic response to every conversation possible, somehow made her laugh. Shinjiro knew that no matter how nice Minako was, the oblivious kid was bound to say something stupid or offensive, but for some reason they were still chatting happily, whereas Shinjiro himself hasn’t even talked to her for a full minute after their first meeting. Shinjiro went closer, hid and peeked behind the corner, then tried to listen to their conversation, wondering what they could both be interested in that will make her that giddy.

“I’d also recommend their burger, but their pancakes will always make you forget everything else,” Akihiko smugly grinned. “Best. Pancakes. Ever. Hands down.”

“Ooh, we went there before, yeah. Miki-chan shares your sentiment, senpai,” Minako giggled once again.

“Of course,” Akihiko seemed to stand straighter, prouder.

_Yup. Of course_. Shinjiro’s head fell on his hands. Rubbing his face, he finally showed up to them, “Hey Aki, what nonsense are you telling the new kid?”

“Shinji! Good timing. What other places do you think serves good food here? Minako-chan’s been asking around.”

_Minako-chan?_ “Really? What kind of cuisine do you prefer?” Shinjiro watched the girl as she suddenly became uncomfortable and seemingly wanted to shrink and shy away from his gaze.

“I, um, don’t really have any preference, senpai. I’m not picky,” Minako replied, her voice getting smaller as each word came out.

“Well, if you’re in a mood for ramen, Hagakure’s the place. For burgers, you have to try Wild Ducks, it’s on Iwatodai Strip Mall. If you want sweets, you can go to Chagall Café. Complements their drinks,” Shinjiro placed his hands in each pocket and tried to gauge her reaction. Minako only stared at him for seconds before rapidly blinking.

“Oh, yes, thank you, senpai. That helps, really,” Minako hastily bowed and turned, taking a few steps away from Shinjiro as if to retreat.

_Hey, now that’s just rude._

Minako suddenly stopped on her tracks and visibly winced. _Wait, did I say it out loud?_ Shinjiro then heard the girl click her tongue before turning back, eyeing something beside him. _What is she looking at?_

Heaving a heavy sigh, Minako’s expression suddenly firmed and intensely held Shinjiro’s gaze. As if sifting through her resolve, she shook her head, “Senpai, I should have asked you sooner, but… I’ve been talking to Miki-chan, and I thought… I’m sorry, this is terrible,” Minako bit her lower lip, “when is your birthday, Shinjiro-senpai?”

Shinjiro was taken aback, partly because of the question but mainly because of her use of his first name and not just a distant ‘Aragaki-senpai’, before he found his voice, “August 11. Why?”

“Oh? I thought…” she adjusted her right foot and almost took a step towards Shinjiro, “I thought it’s around October 1 to 3, I wanted to prepare.” Shinjiro saw her every movement closely, and he could swear he wasn’t imagining it when she lowered her head and looked up at him through her lashes, lips slightly parted (or maybe that bit was really a delusion), before she continued, “I was thinking of giving you a special gift by then, senpai.”

"Really? Just give it to me earlier then," he blurted out without thinking.

It took longer before Minako replied so Shinjiro returned her dumbfounded gaze in kind, but seeing her getting flustered made him confused even more. Shinjiro then saw several expressions flash though her face, from the blushing, fumbling mess that opened her mouth a couple of times without actually getting a word out, to sudden confusion that Shinjiro knew was also mirrored on his own face, to a tint of anger as seen on her furrowing brows, until finally, she settled with an amused, almost maniacal laugh.

"I'm really, _really_ sorry, senpai. I thought you were—nevermind."

"What?" Shinjiro remained confused.

"Nothing, senpai. It's not your fault that you're a normal person."

Shinjiro squinted his eyes and replied, “You’re an odd one, you know that?”

Minako gave him a pleased smile, "Don't worry, senpai. I'll still give you my gift. I can give it to you _way_ earlier if you'd like." She winked at Shinjiro before walking away, still giggling to herself, which now only sounded chilling.

Shinjiro was left standing on the same spot beats later, fixedly staring at the direction where she left until someone patted his back.

“Hey, Shinji. So? Hagakure?”

_Right_. He forgot Aki was still there, though he didn’t seem to mind the exchange he just witnessed. Shinjiro shook his head and signalled Aki to follow him as he moved to leave, walking on autopilot to Hagakure, mentally recounting everything that happened before finally giving up on overthinking.

_If you really ain’t a goddess, no wonder I’ve been having bad luck all these years. I’ve always prayed to you in shrines every exam and New Year’s, dammit._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, I’m really, really sorry about this whole thing… OTZ   
> And also thank you very much to those who have tried reading it. Really, thank you very, very much! I’m really sorry that I wasn’t able to express my gratitude before and haven’t gotten back to this fic immediately. Also sorry for the poor grammar. Honestly, I just had the courage to post it last year because I was stressing over our thesis and I wanted to get away from that >.< I really thought I’d be able to continue it much sooner, but alas! RL issues soooo… well. And then after that, I spent more months hesitating whether I should really still write and post it or not (because I am just a mere lurker, and I’m mostly just making fun of them). Here it is anyway XD  
> I also edited some parts of the previous chapters. Nothing major that will change the plot though (this is still a weird AU). Hopefully by next week I’d be able to finalize the following chapters so I could finally post regularly. Next one will be a Tartarus run!  
> P.S.: The timeline and social links may be a bit confusing… there’s a reason for those inaccuracies so please bear with me. I also suck at title OTZ


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